Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez watches his second home run Sunday against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Laurence Kesterson/Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — It seems the Boston Red Sox made the right decision regarding who should be their No. 1 catcher.
Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart were in constant competition coming through the minor-league ranks. Vazquez was considered the superior defender, while Swihart was thought of as the potentially more productive offensive player.
Turns out Vazquez might be both. His Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park was more of the same at the plate, as he enjoyed his first multihomer game and drove in a career-high five runs. Boston doubled up the Phillies, 6-3, to sweep the two-game set.
“He’s having a terrific season,” said Red Sox Manager Alex Cora. “The cool thing about it is, the last month and a half he’s been the guy that we envisioned – blocking balls, throwing people out, taking charge behind the plate.”
Vazquez went deep just 10 times in 291 games from 2014-18. He missed all of the 2015 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and showed little pop other than a modest .734 OPS in 2017.
This year, he has career highs in almost every category, including 21 home runs, 65 RBI and a .781 OPS.
Vazquez has improved considerably from an injury-marred season last year, when he missed a significant chunk of time because of a broken finger.
“Thank God we won the World Series, because it was a tough year for me offensively,” Vazquez said. “This year, I think I’m having more fun. I was working in the offseason trying to hit more fly balls, and it’s working.”
Vazquez entered Sunday putting the ball in play on the ground just 39 percent of the time, which is a career-low. He was hitting line drives 23.4 percent of the time and fly balls 37.6 percent of the time. Those percentages have also translated to a career-high 25 doubles.
“You need to hit the ball hard,” Vazquez said. “If it goes out, it goes out. If it’s a double, it’s a double. You don’t control that.”
This performance is the culmination of some swing changes. Vazquez put in a significant amount of offseason work with his personal coach, Lorenzo Garmendia, and with Red Sox hitting coaches Tim Hyers and Andy Barkett. Garmendia’s clients also include Boston infielder Chris Owings, who sought out Garmendia after being released by the Royals in June.
“His rhythm looks good,” Owings said. “I think he’s kind of figured out some simple cues, and his swing is good. That’s the easiest way to put it. There’s no wasted movement with what he’s got going on right now.”
Vazquez has received a healthy push from his manager over the last two seasons. Both natives of Puerto Rico, Cora and Vazquez have played winter ball against one another and endured through some tough moments last season when Swihart and Sandy Leon emerged as the preferred options behind the plate.
“He played this game a long time,” Vazquez said of Cora. “He knows a lot. We call him Google in Puerto Rico. It’s fun to hear his stories about baseball.”
How much more can the Red Sox expect from Vazquez? His growth hasn’t been limited to on the field. Vazquez got married and is expecting a son with his wife, Gabriela, in November. His personal and professional futures have aligned nicely into one of the best calendar years of his life.
“We’ve seen it back home and I know he wants to be great,” Cora said. “He has some high goals, and we have to push him.”
A LITTLE BIT of momentum to finish the season could go a long way for Rick Porcello.
Porcello allowed just two runs in five innings Sunday and struck out six, his most since July 31.
“Better command of my pitches, had a good curveball today, was able to lean on that a little bit,” he said.
With free agency just around the corner for the 30-year-old, having some success in his final three starts seems pertinent.
“I’m not even thinking about it, man,” Porcello said. “I haven’t gotten somebody out in two months. I have to figure out how to get people out again before you take those steps.”
Porcello’s fastball was the best one he’s had since June 17, Manager Alex Cora said.
“Today the two-seamer was playing more,” Cora said of Porcello’s best pitch. “You can see some bad swings on his fastballs. He’s been battling. In between starts, he works hard trying to find it.”
He’s wrapping up a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension he signed under former general manager Ben Cherington and can test the free agent waters this offseason.
If they don’t re-sign Porcello, the Red Sox will need to replace his innings in the rotation, especially with injury concerns around Chris Sale and David Price.
Whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” Porcello said. “It’ll take care of itself. It’s been a tough year, frustrating year. It’s been a grind, physically, mentally. I’m still here with the Red Sox and plan to finish this contract up and take it from there.
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